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Academic Format First and Last Name Miss Williams English I Pre-AP - 3 (3 is the period) 8 September 2010 (notice no punctuation / abbreviations) oDoDouble Spaced (even your heading) oOoOne Inch Margins (have to go in and change manually; FILE – PAGE SETUP) oLoLast name and page number on top right (1/2 inch from the top. DON”T ADD HEADER – It’s wrong!!) oNoNo extra space between paragraphs (just begin a new line) oLoLeft Justified – Don’t center your lines or stretch them out! oToTimes New Roman 12 pt font (including title!)

Long Works/Short Works Italics if the work is long (novels, plays, epic poems, albums, movie titles) “Quotes” if the work is short (poems, short stories, essays, song titles) –“A Separate Peace”  –A Separate Peace –The Scarlet Ibis  –“The Scarlet Ibis”

Academic Language No “You” EVER!!!!!! (Unless it’s in a quote) No first person – (“I think…” “We learn…” “The story teaches us…”) No contractions, slang, casual conversational language Always refer to the action of the story in present tense (When Finny falls out of the tree, When Gene abandons Leper in the snow…)

The Prompt Before writing anything, know your assignment— READ THE PROMPT ! What are you being asked to do? Response-to-Literature Writing= writing that discusses what is of value in a work of literature. Literary Response requires a careful, critical look at the reading.

What is my Prompt? Students will create a 500 word 5 paragraph essay over a theme from A Separate Peace by John Knowles. Themes cannot be one word and must be provable with evidence from the text. What scenes do you plan on using?

Intro Paragraph At least three mature sentences Introduces the text and the author Creates interest (the hook) Ends with a thesis statement (controlling idea of the paper) Your paper ’ s ideas  The reader 

Introductory Hooks Draws in the reader Tone should match the essay (serious, humorous, etc.) Introduces the text you will be talking about Possibility: Start with a quote from the book or an outside source that relates to the chosen theme Another example: A Separate Peace by John Knowles is not a novel about World War II as much as it is a novel about the internal war of Gene Forrester, the book’s narrator and central character.

Thesis Statements (yay!) Definition:  A single declarative sentence that expresses what you want your readers to understand; the controlling idea of your essay and road map for your paper  Directly answers the prompt  Makes a claim that others could refute  Last sentence of your introduction (for now…)

Thesis Statement Examples –A theme from “A Separate Peace” is revenge. –I think the book is about the side effects of war. –One of the themes of A Separate Peace is jealousy’s capability to destroy friendships. –John Knowles stresses the importance of identity in his novel and encourages the reader to be his or her own person.

What’s Your Thesis?

Finding Evidence Quotes should be only one sentence. We will be trimming them down even further later. Don’t forget to write down the page #! What scenes prove your theme? What is a powerful sentence from that scene?

Blending Quotes Choose only a portion of the quote and blend it in with your own analysis. Don’t include tons of summary or set-up. Your audience (me!) knows the plot already. When Gene states that “[he] was to become part of Phineas,” the lines between the two boys, at least from Gene’s perspective are becoming more and more blurred (Knowles 120).

Internal Documentation Changing a word in the quote to fit the context of your sentence requires brackets. The sentence’s meaning should not change. Documenting internally – Always at the end of the sentence, not right after the actual quote. Commentary “quote quote” (Author last name page #). Commentary “quote” commentary (author’s last name page number).

Step 1: TOPIC SENTENCE A Topic Sentence (TS) is the top bun of a hamburger. TS = first sentence of the paragraph. It shows the main idea. Usually a mildly controversial statement--something that you have to prove.

1) In the fairy tale “The Three Little Pigs,” the third pig is very wise. Example Topic Sentence (TS)

Step 2: CONCRETE DETAILS Concrete Details (CD) are the meat of the hamburger. CDs = Support for your TS. (facts, quotes, examples, etc. from text) CDs can’t be argued with—a CD is evidence that supports your point!

Example Concrete Detail (CD) 2) For example, remembering his mother’s warning about a wolf, he builds his house out of sturdy brick. (Summary)

Step 3: COMMENTARY Commentary Sentences (CM) are the “extras” on the hamburger—the tomato, cheese, lettuce, mayo—they make it delicious! CMs = your analysis, interpretation, explanation, or insight into the text.

Example Commentary Sentences (2 CMs) 3) Because the wolf is unable to blow down the house, the reader is able to see that the third pig made the right choice. The third pig is smarter than his brothers, who were both eaten by the wolf.

Step 4: CONCLUDING SENTENCE A concluding sentence (CS) is the bottom bun of the hamburger. A CS wraps up the paragraph. It rephrases the main idea.

Example Concluding Sentence (CS) 5) In conclusion, the third pig outsmarts not only his brothers but the “big, bad” wolf as well.

TS, CD, CM, CS—Now What? CHUNKING For a literary response, we will use a combination (or “ratio”) of 1:2. That is, for every 1 CD, you will have 2 CMs. A combination of CDs and CMs is called a chunk.

One Chunk: 1 CD + 2 CM For example, remembering his mother’s warning about a wolf, he builds his house out of sturdy brick. Because the wolf is unable to blow down the house, the reader is able to see that the third pig made the right choice. The third pig is smarter than his brothers, who were both eaten by the wolf. Ratio = 1:2

Transitions A good paragraph will also use transition words. These are words or phrases that help readers connect your ideas. Example transitions: For example, For instance, Consequently, Thus, As a result, Because of this, In summary, Hence, Therefore,

Does It Flow? Reread the paragraph to yourself (out loud is best!) Does it make sense? Does it sound right?

Step 6: A Whole Paragraph In the fairy tale “The Three Little Pigs,” the third pig is very wise. For example, remembering his mother’s warning about a wolf, he builds his house out of sturdy brick. Because the wolf is unable to blow down the house, the reader is able to see that the third pig made the right choice. The third pig is smarter than his brothers, who were both eaten by the wolf. In conclusion, the third pig outsmarts not only his brothers but the “big, bad” wolf as well.